Savoring a broken heart
by shadowninja1718
Summary: Sakura goes on a mission to get information on the Akatsuki, but something goes wrong.
1. Kidnapped

I've had this story up before, but I took it down thinking that it wasn't that good. I've decided to put it back up and continued it. I've made small changes and made it longer also.

Naruto does not belog to me, unfortunately.

* * *

Sakura stood on a tree branch, her hand pressing against the bark. Rain was pouring down. The girl had on her usual attire. Her red shirt and shorts with the skirt-like material over the shorts. Though her attire was hidden by the cloak she was wearing. the cloak was just a simple black cloak with the hood up, nothing more. She had been given a mission to spy on Akatsuki, to see what they were planning.

**"Sakura, you don't have to do this. We have other shinobi that could take your place in this."**

**The pink haired girl smiled over at the Hokage as she made sure she had everything before slipping on her bag, a reassuring smile placed on her face. "Tsunade-shishou, I'll be fine. It's about time I show everybody I'm not as weak as they think."**

**Tsunade was about to say something but she saw her apprentice run out the door, "Tell Naruto I said bye, and also tell him not to get himself killed!"**

Thinking back on it now, the pink haired kunoichi didn't think this was such a good idea. She was risking her life to get information. She wasn't even ANBU level yet! It had been three years since Naruto left to go find Sasuke. Each day she told herself that Naruto would come back, bringing Sasuke with him. While those three long years passed, Sakura had trained. She had currently been training to get into ANBU. Tsunade knew Sakura would get into ANBU easily, but she never suggested it. It were missions like these that she didn't want Sakura taking. Sakura's techniques were for healing, not killing.

Sakura pursed her lips together. No. She wasn't the weak girl from all those years ago. The girl who didn't have enough strength to stop her Sasuke from leaving. The girl that always had to be protected. The girl who always ended up having to be saved by either Sasuke or Naruto or have to watch them fight. She even remembered back to the chunin exams during the second part while Sasuke was against Orochimaru. She was yelling to Sasuke about him being a coward and not doing anything. What was she doing? She was watching from a distance, not doing anything to help otherwise.

Thinking back to those days, she knew how hypocritical she was when she did those things. She shook her head, looking down below and then looked off towards the distance. She could see something that resembled a cave. She knew that had to be it. That had to be the Akatsuki's base. There was nothing else besides the cave, save for the trees surrounding it.

_There's most likely a genjutsu place on it so that to anyone else, it'd look just like an ordinary cave._ Sakura thought, nodding to herself. If she had't looked closely, she would have over looked it. On this mission though, she couldn't afford to over look anything.

Sakura jumped down from the branch, landed perfectly on her feet.

"My my, if it isn't Haruno-san."

Sakura froze, tensing up as she slowly turned her head, seeing Uchiha Itachi standing there. An emotionless look was placed on his face as usual. But then again, it wasn't like Sakura wasn't expecting emotion. That was one thing all Uchiha's seemed to have in common. Or at least, Itachi and Sasuke. Sakura glared upon seeing the elder Uchiha.

She clenched her fist, as if ready to punch him. _He ... He's the one ... He's the person who has caused Sasuke-kun so much pain ... He's the reason Sasuke-kun left!_, Sakura thought angrily. Even with Sakura glaring at him, the Uchiha didn't flinch, didn't move, didn't blink. He just continued to stare down at the pink haired girl calmly, his scarlet eyes seeming to pierce through her as if she were merely a small child.

For that short moment, it seemed as if time had stopped. The only reason Sakura knew time hadn't stopped, was that the rain continued to fall. After a few seconds of just standing there, Sakura reached back for a kunai and threw it at him, jumping back into the air. Itachi calmly knocked it away with his own kunai that seemingly came out of nowhere.

"Behind you."

Sakura's eyes widened, glancing over her shoulder. There the Uchiha prodigy was. Sakura looked forward for a moment. Sure enough, where Itachi had previously been standing, was empty. She went to elbow him in the stomach, but he merely caught her arm before slinging her into the ground as if she were just a mere rag doll. Sakura groaned, standing back up as Itachi landed on the ground with ease. She ran forward, attempting to punch his face but Itachi calmly grabbed her by the wrist and slung her into a tree, again, like a rag doll. Sakura forced herself up, only to get kicked in the side and crash back into the tree.

By this point, her back was really starting to hurt. She forced herself up again. She glanced forward, Seeing Itachi's foot aiming towards her face. She held her arms up in time and pushed off of his foot before taking out a kunai and slashed at him across the chest. Her eyes widened as his form turned into a log. She turned her head, only to have him kick her in the back and sent her forward, throwing shuriken at her as he did so. She skidded across the ground, groaning.

She was regretting ever going on this mission now. She sat up, pulling out a shuriken from her ankle. She winced, feeling how deep it went in. Light green chakra engulfed her hand as she pressed it against her ankle, healing it. She couldn't use too much chakra. She'd need it for fighting.

Itachi blinked as he watched her calmly. He couldn't help but smirk after a few minutes. Of course, that smirk was hidden by the collar of his cloak.

The hood of Sakura's cloak had fallen, showing her pink hair which came down a little below her shoulders. She no longer wore it long, but it wasn't exactly short either. She didn't like the fact that she had pink hair some times. It stood out too much. Well, to her anyway. She pursed her lips together, narrowing her eyes as she looked at Itachi. She wasn't going to lose here. No. She couldn't and wouldn't.

She stood up, clenching her fists, her jade colored eyes staring at Itachi's scarlet ones. She knew what Itachi's eyes could do. But she knew he wasn't going to use the Mangekyo Sharingan on her. To him, there was probably no need to. She wasn't worth the Sharingan's power.

Or that's what he thought.

The pink haired girl lunged forward, determined to at least inflict some damage on the elder Uchiha. If she died here, she'd die fighting. She took out a kunai, determined to harm him and threw it at him. He merely caught it and threw it back at her. Sakura felt it go into her shoulder, her eyes widening as Itachi leaned forward, pushing the blade in deeper. She placed her hand on the kunai, trying to force it out of her, though Itachi's force was stronger. She glared at him, trying to kick his feet out from under him. He simply jumped back and landed on the ground calmly as Sakura pulled the kunai out, throwing it to the side. She glared at him intently. She lunged forward again and stopped half way. She smirked to herself and thrusted her arm into the ground, causing cracks to form and go Itachi's way. She continued to smirk, a 'Ha! I win' look placed on her face as Itachi fell down into the depths of the earth, or how deep the hole went anyway.

"You missed, Haruno-san."

Sakura tensed. There was no way he could have survived that. Though, she guessed he used a clone. She glared at him out of the corner of her eye and went to kick him, only to have him disappeared. She frowned, a frustrated sigh escaping her lips. She hated to sound like Shikamaru, but Itachi was becoming troublesome by now. And she was quite tired of his disappearing acts.

She looked all around her, trying to find him. Her green eyes scanned the area for his chakra signature. Nothing. She soon tensed, feeling the presence behind her. _Stupid Sakura! Stupid! You let him sneak up on you!_, She thought, ready to punch him but she felt him hit her in the back of the neck. She fell forward, waiting to hit the ground, but she never felt the impact come.

* * *

Sakura groaned as she rose her head a bit. Her head was pounding and her body ached. She leaned her head back, feeling it make contact with a wall. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, sighing to herself. At the moment, her mind was in a haze. _What happened? _She asked herself as she kept her eyes closed tightly, concentrating. Her mind was blank at the moment and nothing was coming up. After a few seconds it hit her--

Or actually..

a shirt and some pants did.

She looked towards the direction they had come from and saw the man who had kidnapped her. She clenched her fists a bit, now remembering what had happened. She started taking in her surroundings. It looked like she was in a cell. She would have tried to brake down a wall or something at the moment, but she couldn't feel any chakra going into her fist like intended to.

"Don't even bother trying. Kisame drained your chakra before you woke up. Get dressed."

And with that, the door closed.

So that was why she ached all over. Her chakra had been drained from her body just recently. She looked down at the clothes that were in her lap. Just a plain mesh clad shirt and some pants that resembled the type of pants Kakashi wore. She sighed a bit and glanced at the clothes she had on at the moment. They were torn and looked like she had been wearing them for weeks. _How long have I been out? _She asked herself as she slowly stood up and began getting dressed. The clothes actually fit her well. The pants hung loosely just below her stomach. The shirt was a bit larger than her usual shirts but it was tolerable. She folded her original clothes and placed them on the ground just as the door opened once more.

* * *

"Tsuuuuunaaaaaade!"

Tsunade sighed irritably as Naruto burst into her office, yelling at the top of his lungs. "What is it, Naruto?" She asked as she continued look over the papers she had been looking over.

"I can't find Sakura-chan! I haven't been able to find her at all since I got back! I wanted to ask her to eat ramen with me.." Naruto whined, upset about how he was going to miss probably his only chance to eat with Sakura.

"Ever consider that she might be hiding to keep from eating ramen?" Tsunade asked as she arched an eyebrow, though she knew something was up. Sakura hadn't come by once in the past few days.

Naruto frowned. "Be serious, Tsunade-baa-chan! Sakura's missing!!"

"I think you've made that clear." Tsunade mumbled as she pressed her fingers against her temple, trying to drown out his yelling.

"Well, what are you gonna do!?" Naruto asked.

Tsunade didn't get a chance to answer seeing as Naruto kept going.

"I'll go find her! I'll go get Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Lee, Chou--"

"No."

Naruto blinked as he stared at her in confusion. "No...?"

"I'll send ANBU to look for her." Tsunade replied calmly as she kept her eyes on the papers in front of her.

Naruto clenched his fist. "How can you be so calm!? Sakura-chan could have gotten captured by anybody and you're just--"

"Exactly." Tsunade interrupted as she finally looked up at Naruto.

"Then why aren't you letting me go after her!?" Naruto shouted.

"She could have gotten captured by anybody, Naruto. We don't know what we'd be up against."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. Tsunade was hiding something and he knew it. She knew what was going on. How could she be so calm in a situation like this!? Sakura was missing! He clenched his fists and stormed out of the office.

Tsunade sighed, looking out the window. _Don't tell me you got captured by them, Sakura._

* * *

Sakura blinked as she watched who stepped into the cell. The person had long blonde hair, some of it up in a pony tail while the rest was down. The person also had eyes the color mixed between blue and green. She wasn't sure of the gender of the person who had just walked into the room she was in. They looked like both a female and a male.

Sakura bit her lip for a moment as she stared at this person, pursing her lips together. Why didn't Itachi come get her? But then again, maybe it was better that Itachi hadn't come to fetch her. After a few minutes she saw a smirk grace the person's features.

"So you're the girl Itachi-san found, yeah." She then knew by how this person talked that it was a boy. By how he talked, he seemed like he wasn't as brutal or cold as Itachi, so that made Sakura even more happy that he came instead. "Come on, un." He said as he began walking. Sakura, doing her best to move her feet fast enough, followed after him.

As they walked down the hall, Sakura would catch glimpses of him staring at her, which made her uncomfortable. She could feel his eyes still on her so she decided to start a conversation, trying to lighten the seemingly now tense atmosphere.

"May I ask who you are?"

He grinned. "I'm Deidara, yeah. And if I remember correctly, you're Haruno-san, right?"

Sakura nodded. "Um, yeah. Though I'd rather be called by Sakura."

His grin was hidden by his collar, but she knew he was still grinning by the way his visible eye that wasn't hidden by his bangs closed.

"Alright, yeah."

She smiled a bit then blinked. "Hey, Deidara? Why am I here?"

Deidara gave her a confused look as if she had just asked one of those questions that seemed so obvious, you should already know the answer to them. "You're joining the Akatsuki of course, yeah."

_"WHAT!?"_


	2. Ideas

Deidara arched an eyebrow. Why was this girl acting like she had no idea what he was talking about. He pursed his lips together. Of course. He didn't doubt that Itachi did not tell her anything about her joining. He knew Itachi was someone of few words. Itachi never spoke unless he had to.

Sakura took a deep breath. She'd have to go along with this. She was in no condition to anger anyone in the Akatsuki. She had very little chakra and she knew she was out numbered. Sakura could feel several different Akatsuki members in the area. "Why exactly am I here?"

"I already told you, yeah." Deidara frowned.

The pink haired girl shook her head and looked at him. "No. I mean, why am I ... joining the Akatsuki?" Sakura had to force the last few words out of her mouth. She didn't want to join. She would have spoken with some venom in her tone, but she didn't want to risk it. _Besides, he seems nice enough. _

Though she knew that Akatsuki were ruthless. She wouldn't let her guard down. She would just play the role of a kunoichi being clueless ... at least until she built up more chakra.

"You're the Hokage's apprentice, aren't you?"

Sakura's eyes widened just a bit. So they already knew that much. _Guess I can't fool them to thinking I'm helpless if they know who I am._ Sakura thought, frowning. She looked forward, knowing that must be why she was brought there. ".. Hai."

Deidara watched her. She was keeping her gaze on the ground while her hair covered her face from his view. He sighed lightly. _Of course Itachi-san picks up a depressed girl. He has no taste at all._

Sakura glanced over, noticing him watching her. She arched an eyebrow as he turned his gaze forward. She let out a small sigh and looked forward as well, seeing that they were heading towards a door at the end of the hall.

Deidara stopped at the door and knocked on it. There was an irritated "Come in" from behind the door. Deidara glanced at Sakura before he opened the door, letting her walk inside frst before going in himself.

Sakura looked around the room as darkness engulfed her. She knew that she wasn't alone in the room. She could feel Deidara beside her, and she since several other chakra signatures in the room as well.

"It seems your pet is finally awake, Itachi." Came a teasing voice.

"Hn."

Sakura looked around as the room seemed to lighten up a bit. She could see Itachi on the far left side of the room, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall.

Other Akatsuki members were spread out in the large room. Sakura then looked towards the middle of the room, and at the far back, she could see the outline of a shadow.

_That must be the leader..._ Sakura thought, pursing her lips together. Out of all the members in the room, he was the only one she couldn't see.

"So this is the girl you fought, Itachi-san?" The shadow spoke in a calm but confident voice.

"She certainly doesn't seem like much." Came a reply from one of the bulkier members who resembled a fish.

"This girl," Deidara gestured to the pink haired kunoichi, "Haruno Sakura, is Konoha's fifth Hokage's apprentice."

"I see..." The shadow spoke. "Itachi."

Itachi turned his head to look at the leader.

"You will train her if you suspect her to join the Akatsuki."

* * *

Naruto twitched as he sat at Ichiraku with all the rookie nine-- minus Sakura and Sasuke. It made him feel left out that he was the only one there without his teammates. Kiba was making fun of Hinata who was blushing from sitting next to Naruto, him being oblivious. Ino was fussing at Choji for eating so much while Shikamaru was saying the two was being troublesome while Shino sat silently on Naruto's left side.

_Is this really how it's supposed to be?_ Naruto asked himself, ignoring the laughing and hatting that was going on around him. Was it fate that Sasuke and Sakura were gone now?

_No._ Naruto thought, frowning. _Destiny isn't chosen for us! We make our own paths.._

_But why do I suddenly feel like fate is screwing around with me? I feel like it's mocking me. First Sasuke left and now Sakura is gone. _Naruto sighed lightly, resting his chin on his palm. He needed to stop thinking about this. ANBU would find Sakura and then they could both find Sasuke and then they would be team seven again.

"Naruto!"

Naruto blinked, looking over. "What?"

Ino sighed. "You need to perk up and have fun."

Naruto frowned. "Aren't you sad at all? Sakura-chan is gone! She's your friend, Ino!"

Ino frowned. "Of course I'm sad. When I heard Sakura disappeared, I didn't want to believe." Ino sighed, "But, you should really try to cheer up Naruto. At least right now, okay?"

Naruto sighed. "Sure, sure. Whatever."

* * *

Sakura stared at the floor as she walked down the hallway. She could hear Itachi's footsteps next to her, but she tried to block him out of her mind.

_I shouldn't be here._ Sakura thought as she sighed. She blinked as Itachi stopped, causing her to stop and look back at him with a confused look on her face.

"Your room is here." Itachi stated calmly.

Sakura nodded as she turned around, walking back towards him. She opened the door and looked around the room, eyes wide.

The room was a soft color of bright red. There was a bed in the the right hand corner of the room, which was black with black sheets and pillows. next to the bed was a dark brown bedside table with a lamp and clock on it while there was a dresser pressed against the left side of the wall with a mirror placed above it.

Sakura couldn't help but smile. It wasn't really her favorite colors, but she could live with it until she was able to get out of this mess. She walked inside of the room, looking around.

"Be up at 5:30." Itachi instructed before the door closed.

Sakura frowned, being engulfed in darkness again. She felt her way to the table and felt for the lamp, feeling a cold chain before pulling on it, causing the light to turn on and lighten up the room a bit. With a sigh, Sakura sat down on the bed, burying her face in her hands.

What had just happened? How was it possible she was at the _Akatsuki_?

Sakura let out a small dry laugh. _I should have known this would happen._

How could it not happen? She had been on a mission to spy on the Akatsuki, right? It shouldn't surprised her that she had been captured.

_One mistake ... that was all it took._ Sakura thought, laying back on the silk black sheets. She had let her guard down for just one or two seconds and Itachi was able to take advantage of it.

_Why am I even here? _Sakura thought after a few minutes, eyebrows furrowed. She really couldn't believe she was in the Akatsuki hide out. If she were twelve again and someone told her she'd end up getting kidnapped by the Akatsuki, she would have laughed and said they didn't know what they were talking about. She would have never been able to be brave enough to take a mission like spying on the Akatsuki.

_But then again, I never thought I'd be the Hokage's apprentice._ She thought, closing her eyes.

But once she started thinking about it, being kidnapped didn't seem like that bad of a thing. She was supposed to be spying on the Akatsuki, right? She was supposed to get information. _And it's a lot easier getting information when they think you're one of them. _She thought, a small smile appearing on her lips.

This was probably the best rout to take to getting information..

* * *

Naruto sighed as he walked towards his apartment. It had been a long get together. Ino insisted that Naruto stay and chat for awhile, then Kiba wanted to wrestle. Shikamaru wanted to play board games while Choji wanted to eat. Shino simply wanted to go home, much like Naruto. It had been a long one indeed.

He stifled a yawn as he walked on to his porch, rummaging through his pockets for his keys. He pulled them out then blinked as he saw a note on the door. He lifted his hand and pulled it off of the door, reading over it.

_**Meet me at the Konoha gates at five A.M. tomorrow. Don't get caught and bring your ninja gear,**_

_**Ino**_

Naruto grinned as he read over the note, knowing exactly what it was about. He opened the door and walked inside, letting it close behind him as he headed to his room.

_We're going to bring you back, Sakura-chan. Don't worry._

* * *

Yeah well here's the second chapter. It isn't that long and it really isn't that eventful. Sorry about that xD;;;. Anyway, keep up the reviews! I may have only gotten a few but they motivated me!

Anyway, hope you liked this chapter

shadowninja1718


	3. Training

Naruto ran through the village. It was still dark out and the sun was just beginning to rise. He grinned as he saw the village gates come into site, along with Ino, Hinata, Lee and Kiba, along with Akamaru.

Naruto skidded to a halt, looking at all of them, frowning. "Where are the others?"

Ino sighed. "If we all go, there's no way we could stay hidden as well. Plus, not everyone was really wanting to risk going. We're going against the Akatsuki, here."

"Eh, who needs the rest of them? We'll be fine with just the six us. Right Akamaru?" Kiba asked, looking over at the giant dog that was sitting next to him. Akamaru only gave a bark and his own dog-like grin.

"Yes! Together, we will bring Sakura back with our youth!" Lee announced proudly.

Naruto grinned and nodded. "Of course. We're more than capable of getting Sakura-chan ourselves!"

Hinata smiled softly and gave a soft nod.

Ino smirked. "Now, lets go before someone sees us."

Everyone nodded and followed after Ino as she began walking.

* * *

Sakura groaned as she leaned against a tree's trunk for support as she pushed herself up, though she fell back to her knees. Itachi had been throwing her around like a rag doll. He wasn't bothering going easy on her. 

_I was doing fine when we began_ Sakura thought.

It was true she had been able to keep up more when they had begun sparring. She had slowed down after about thirty to forty minutes.

Itachi didn't seem like he had worn down at all. He was standing straight, a calm expression on his face. He stared at her with his scarlet eyes, watching her. He seemed to be growing impatient with her, most likely because she had slowed down too fast in his eyes. Though, anyone could 'slow down' too fast compared to him. Itachi always seemed to have energy left.

"Get up."

Sakura looked up at Itachi, narrowing her eyes. "I can't continue this. I'm almost out of chakra."

"I said get up."

Sakura let a low growl rumble in her throat. What the fuck had she just said!? She couldn't keep this up. She glared at him, not bothering to move.

Itachi let out an irritated sigh as he walked to wards her. He roughly grabbed her arm, pulling her up. He glared down at her while she continued to glare back. This girl was really starting to get on his nerves. He wondered if it was worth training her after all.

"What?" Sakura spat, tired of his glaring.

"Hn."

Sakura kept her glare going. She wanted to punch him _so_ badly, just to get him to stop glaring. _Then I'd most likely get tortured_ She thought, frowning.

Itachi released her arm, pushing her aside and began walking back to the Akatsuki base. "Useless."

Sakura, who had fallen back glared at his retreating back. Her jade eyes held rage now that he had called her that.

Itachi stopped as a kunai flew past him, embedding itself into a tree ahead of him. Itachi turned his head, looking at the pink haired girl.

"_Never_ call me useless."

* * *

"Do you know where Sakura-chan is?" Naruto asked. His gaze was on Ino, who was supposedly in charge. 

"I'm not sure." Ino frowned. "But I have a pretty good idea."

"Oh? Where?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Akatsuki." Ino stated, venom dripping in her voice. "Sakura told me about her mission before she left."

"What!? If you knew her mission involved Akatsuki, why didn't you talk her out of it!?" Naruto shouted, gritting his teeth.

"I tried." Ino snapped. "She wouldn't listen. You should know how stubborn Sakura is."

Silence.

"Are we heading straight to Akatsuki?" Kiba asked, who was riding on Akamaru as they ran through the forest.

"No." Came Ino's simple reply.

"What?" Lee asked, looking at Ino, surprised.

"We're going to kill two birds with one stone." Ino stated, a small smirk on her lips.

"... Kill two birds with one stone?" Naruto asked, a confused look on his face.

Ino nodded.

"Which means..?" Kiba drawled, frowning.

"We're going to get Sasuke first."

* * *

Sakura sat in the kitchen on the hide out. Her fingers were tapping against the wood. She had surprisingly got through Itachi's training alive. She had even managed to give him a scratch on his shoulder. 

"Well well, look what we have here, yeah."

Sakura looked over, seeing Deidara along with a red haired boy.

"I'm guessing you're Haruno-san?" The red haired boy asked.

Sakura nodded slowly. "... Yeah.." Sakura said as she looked at him. He seemed so young to be in the Akatsuki. "... Who are you?"

"This is Sasori." Deidara stated, gesturing to him, "He's my partner, yeah."

"Ah." Sakura nodded as she looked at Sasori.

"So, how was training, yeah?" Deidara asked, sitting down beside Sakura, who changed her position to sitting on her legs, slightly uncomfortable with talking to him. He was Akatsuki, so she didn't want to take any chances.

"It was ... fine."

"Fine?" Deidara frowned.

Sasori watched his partner, his lips formed in a straight line. _Don't get attached, Deidara. I'm sure it won't be long before Itachi-san decides to to get rid of her. _He thought calmly. After all, Itachi had never really trained anyone before. He wouldn't be surprised if Itachi ended up killing her so she wouldn't waste his time. Though he knew Deidara wasn't worried about getting attached. Deidara most likelly just wanted to get on Sakura's good side and make her feel welcomed ... or as welcomed as you can feel at the Akatsuki.

Sakura nodded. "Hai."

"I see, yeah..." Deidara sighed. He soon stood up and walked passed Sasori.

Sasori watched Deidara before turning to look at Sakura. "Haruno-san." He said, nodding his head before walking out of the room.

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows together, pursing her lips. "Okay..?" She mumbled, crossing her arms over the table, a soft sigh escaping her lips. She already disliked being at the Akatsuki. She felt like a prisoner instead of an upcoming member. _I hope Naruto isn't worrying._ She thought, closing her eyes. _Knowing Naruto, who could most likely be coming to try to get me._

Too bad she didn't know how close she was to that guess.

* * *

"We're _what_!?" Kiba asked, frowning. 

"I-isn't that a little risky?" Hinata asked as she looked at Ino.

Ino frowned. "You all know we'll have more of a chance if we brought Sasuke."

Naruto frowned. "Yeah but.."

Would Sasuke actually come with them? Naruto doubted it. Sasuke didn't seem to want anything to do with Konoha now. All he wanted was to kill him brother and revive his clan.

Ino looked at Naruto. "Sasuke wants to kill his brother, right?"

Naruto gave a small nod.

Ino gave a small smile. "Well, if we explain that Sakura got captured by the Akatsuki, it would give him an opportunity to go after his brother."

Naruto grinned. "Ino, you're a genius!"

Ino grinned this time.

Kiba snorted. "_Anybody_ could come up with that idea."

Ino shot Kiba a cold glare.

"K-Kiba-kun, don't be rude." Hinata mumbled, looking at her teammate.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry." Kiba sighed then grinned. "Ah well, as long as we get some action."

Akamaru gave a bark.

"Yes! Sakura-san! We're coming!" Lee shouted, flashing a smile.

Ino smiled along with Naruto, now sure that they would bring Sakura _and_ Sasuke back.

* * *

Well, here's the third chapter. I decided to get it out early to be nice. Anyway, not much to say on this one.

Hope you enjoyed it.

-shadowninja1718


	4. Chase

Sakura walked own the halls of the Akatsuki, letting a soft sigh escape her lips as she healed her hand. Kisame had managed to get a hold of her wrist during training and broke it.

_That was a mistake_ Sakura thought with a frown once she finished healing her hand. She stopped in the middle of the hall way, frowning to herself. It had been a week and she was tired of all of this by now. Everyday was the same. She'd get beaten by Itachi during 'training' and then she'd head back to her room, healing the injuries she had gotten and was soon dragged out for more training and the same thing followed. Though it was a bit different today. Itachi had left to go on a simple scroll retrieving mission on information on a village so she was stuck training with Kisame. _I need to get out of here before I get killed_ She thought as she let her hand rest at her side.

But how was she going to get out of the Akatsuki without getting caught?

"I'll just have to sneak out..."

* * *

"Sasuke?" Ino opened a door, frowning as she closed it. 

"Any luck, Ino-san?" Lee asked as he gazed over her shoulder.

"No." Ino sighed as she turned around, leaning against the wall next to the door, crossing her arms as she frowned. "This place is a total ghost town. I bet Sasuke isn't even here."

"Ugh... I didn't find _anything_." Naruto groaned as he and Hinata walked into the hallway. Naruto plopped down on the ground while Hinata looked at him then to wards Ino who shook her head.

"M-maybe Kiba-kun and Akamaru found s-something..?" Hinata suggested with a sigh.

"Maybe..." Ino mumbled.

"Hey!"

Ino, Lee, Hinata, and Naruto all turned their heads to look down the hall, seeing Kiba and Akamaru. Akamaru had to squat a bit so that he would fit into the base.

"What is it, Kiba?" Naruto asked, shooting up.

"I found another hallway that had been blocked off." Kiba stated as he turned around and took off down the hall, everyone following behind him.

* * *

Sakura sat in her room, pulling on her gloves tightly as she got dressed in her usual attire. She had found them in the dresser at the bottom under all of the plain clothes she had had to dress in the past week. She placed her hand on the wall as she slipped on her sandals, pursing her lips together. She knew she'd have to be careful when sneaking out. 

Sakura stood up straight and walked over to the bed, performing hand signs. There was a poof of smoke before a clone appeared beside her.

"Stay here and give me a chance to escape." Sakura instructed.

The clone merely nodded.

Sakura walked to wards the door and pulled it open, walking out an letting it close behind her. She looked around to make sure no one was around before she took off down the hallway, suppressing her chakra as she did so. She stopped at a corner and peeked out, making sure no one was coming before dashing off.

After a few minutes of constantly looking over her shoulder and stopping to look around, Sakura made it outside, surprisingly without running into anyone. She took a deep breath, glad that she was able to make it out.

_I'm not safe yet though. _She thought with a frown before taking off. She let out a low growl as she felt something now chasing after her. She stopped on a tree branch, closing her eyes. _Whoever is coming after me isn't far.._ She thought, letting out an irritated sigh as she tightened her gloves. Clearly she wasn't going to get out of this without a fight. She could tell the person was about ten minutes behind her so she still had a chance to make it to a nearby village and hide out.

With a grunt, Sakura jumped down from the tree branch and took off through the forest, doing her best to go fast enough to get ahead but still save energy for later.

_Whoever this is ... they're determined to catch up. _Sakura sighed as she felt the chakra signature gaining speed. She skidded to a halt and took out a kunai, slipping an exploding tag on it and wrapped some wiring on it before laying it on the ground and brought the end of the wire to a tree on the opposite side, tying it around the tree and smirked. She wasn't going to give up without a fight. She'd make this difficult for anyone who was chasing after her.

* * *

"Damn, this hallway is narrow." Naruto grunted as he slid in between the hidden door and the wall. 

"I don't think Akamaru will fit." Ino mumbled as she looked at Kiba.

Akamaru gave a small whimper. Kiba smiled and gave him a pat on the head. "Don't worry boy, we'll be back soon. You just keep watch, alright?"

Akamaru gave a bark, his tail thumping against the ground.

Ino looked to wards Naruto and nodded, signaling him to continue down the hall while she, Hinata, Kiba, and Lee followed.

"Do y-you think this is really safe?" Hinata asked quietly, "This could be a trap.."

"Don't worry, Hinata." Naruto grinned as he looked at the black haired girl. "We'll be just fine."

Ino nodded in agreement as she continued to look forward, deep in thought.

Naruto blinked as he felt his foot hit something. He looked down, seeing wire. _... Oh shit.._

Naruto pulled Hinata down while Kiba, Ino, and Lee all ducked as kunai shot out from the walls, embedding themselves in the wall opposite from the wall they had come from.

"Naruto, you idiot!" Ino hissed.

"Sorry!" Naruto said, waving his hands in the air as he slowly stood up straight.

Ino let out a grunt as she stood up, brushing herself off. "Be more careful."

"Seriously!" Kiba snapped.

"I said I was sorry!"

"N-Naruto-kun, look." Hinata said as she pointed ahead to wards a door.

Naruto grinned and walked to wards the door, being careful or any traps before reaching to wards the door nob.

"Wait."

Naruto looked at Ino and frowned. "What?"

Ino reached her hand forward, chakra enveloping her hand as she touched a wire, cutting it before letting the chakra fade and turned the handle. She pushed the door open, standing back a bit.

After a few seconds of waiting, Naruto walked in, glancing around.

"What are you doing here, dobe?"

Naruto's eyes widened, recognizing the voice. "Sasuke..."

* * *

**I wanted to get a chapter out as a Christmas present. Yes, sort of a cliffhanger there but I just couldn't resist xD**

**I hope everyone has a merry Christmas or anything else you celebrate!**

**-shadowninja1718**


	5. So close

Naruto looked Sasuke up and down. He mainly looked the same except for his clothes.

"Well...?"

Naruto frowned. He knew Sasuke would most likely attack them if he didn't pick the right words. He'd have to explain why they were there carefully.

"Sakura was captured!" Kiba blurted out.

"That isn't my problem."

Ino narrowed her eyes. "Oh?"

"Yes."

"I'm sure I know why it could be your problem." Ino smirked.

"Hn."

"Damn it, Sasuke! Sakura-chan was captured by the Akatsuki!" Naruto growled, wanting to speed the conversation up.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, pursing his lips together.

"That means she's with your _brother_" Kiba said slowly, as if Sasuke were a small child.

"I figured that, dumb ass." Sasuke growled.

"Sasuke. please, can you just help us?"

"Why should I help you?" Sasuke mumbled, looking to wards Ino.

"Please, Sasuke-san! Sakura-san is in trouble and we'd appreciate it very much if you would help!" Lee shouted.

"Basically, do you really want Sakura to be with your brother?" Ino asked, crossing her arms.

"I couldn't care less."

"Damn it, Sasuke!" Naruto jumped on the Uchiha, grabbing him by his shirt (If it can be considered one) and glared at him, "Sakura-chan may get killed, and possibly by your brother! Do you care at all!?"

"I cut all my bonds a long time ago, Naruto." Sasuke growled. "I don't care what happens, as long as I avenge my clan."

Smack.

Sasuke blinked, bringing his hand up to his now stinging cheek.

"Sasuke ... she .. she _loved_ you! She would do anything to save you!" Naruto growled, gritting his teeth. "Bastard, I swear if you don't--"

"Alright."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked.

"I'll help, just get off." Sasuke growled.

Naruto instantly grinned, hopping off of Sasuke. "Thank you, Sasuke!"

"Hn."

* * *

"Damn it." Sakura cursed quietly. Whoever was chasing her was gaining on her, and she knew she had a while to go before she reached a village. She'd be caught before she she made it to a village, and she dreaded the thought. She sped up a bit, though tried to keep her chakra level low so it would be harder to sense. She could still feel the chakra signature gaining speed and getting closer. She let out an angry sigh before she focused most of her chakra to her feet to gain more speed.

A smirk graced the girl's lips, feeling the chakra signature fading a bit. It gained on her every so often, but she knew she could make it now. She just needed to last long enough to make it to a village.

Sakura knew she had another hour or so to make it to a village, and she was getting tired. Unfortunately, it had started to rain. Her bangs were matted to her cheeks while her clothes stuck to her skin uncomfortably. She bit her lower lip nervously. The chakra signature had vanished about an hour ago, and she knew whoever it was didn't decide to give up. They were toying with her. Waiting for her to least expect it before they moved in on her at the last minute when she had at least some hope of escaping.

_They aren't going to catch me off guard. _Sakura thought, pursing her lips together.

* * *

"So, Sakura was captured by Akatsuki..?" Sasuke asked calmly.

"That's what we _think_." Ino stated, letting out a sigh.

"We're pretty sure she was though." Kiba nodded.

Naruto couldn't help but grin as they jumped from tree to tree. He was, of course, next to Sasuke while the others were more scattered out. He felt somewhat sad with the fact that they had finally gotten Sasuke back, but Sakura was not there with them. _Just know this Sakura. When we find you, you will know you're the reason Sasuke decided to come with us. _Naruto thought.

Of course, Sasuke never said he'd come back with them to Konoha, but where else would he go after this? He was positive Sasuke would come back with them, Sakura too.

"We'll rest at the nearest village we find." Ino stated as she looked over at Naruto.

"How long will that take, Ino-san?" Lee asked.

"It will probably take about two or three hours, but I'm sure if we hurry, we'll get there faster." Ino stated with a grin.

* * *

Sakura smiled to herself as she looked at herself in a mirror, brushing her hair. She had luckily made it to a small village without getting caught and was currently staying in a hotel.

_I just have to be careful until I get a reply to my message. _Sakura thought as she placed the brush on the desk. She had stopped by a small office at the front of the village where you could send messages to other villages. She had, of course, sent a message to Tsunade stating that she was fine, but she would have to wait at the village she was currently at until either someone escorted her back or it was safe for her to come out of hiding.

"I just hope I get a reply soon." Sakura sighed as she walked around the room, grabbing her wet clothes. The woman at the front desk in the lobby let her borrow a rather baggy shirt and shorts.

_Heh, who knows? Maybe Naruto in all his stupidity really is coming to get me. _Sakura thought with a small laugh as she hung her clothes over the bath tub. She didn't want to hang them up outside seeing as it was still raining.

Sakura stretched, yawning as she made her way back over to the bed. "Well, at least I'm safe for tonight."

"Where do you get that idea?"

Sakura froze as she looked over, seeing a figure leaning against the walls. The first thing she noticed were the scarlet eyes that stared at him.

"W-what are you doing here!?" Sakura hissed.

Itachi only continued to give her his calm stare as he pushed himself off of the wall.

Sakura took a step back as itachi walked to wards her. She felt panic rush through her as her back met the wall. Her legs shook while she continued to try to back up. _Why is this happening!? What did I ever do to deserve this!? _Sakura thought, staring in fear as Itachi continued to walk towards her. Usually, she would just glare at him as if she could take him, but she knew not to push it now. She had just tried to make an escape, and was probably close to succeeding if she had just left earlier or ran faster.

Sakura closed her eyes tightly once Itachi was right in front of her. She wanted oh so badly to run out of the room and just disappear, but she knew that wouldn't happen. Itachi would probably just kill her sooner.

A shiver ran up Sakura's spine as he grabbed her arm. His hands were warm against her cold, wet skin, causing her to shiver more.

"You're coming back with me."

Sakura frowned, the fear instantly vanishing as she glared at the older Uchiha. "I don't take orders from you."

"Hn." Itachi replied simply as he tugged on her arm, causing her to fall forward and crashing into him.

She would have pushed herself off of him, but he merely wrapped his arms around her tightly, dragging her over towards wide open window. Sakura shivered again once the cold night air hit her as Itachi jumped out from the window and landed on the ground with ease.

_I was so close.._ Sakura thought, frowning to herself. She wanted to cry, but she held back the tears. She now felt more mad than sad. She was almost free. Sakura glared at nothing in particular before turning her head to burry it against Itachi's cloak. _I hate you so much.._

* * *

Yay, I finally updated! I'm sorry that it took so long! Every time I looked at what I had typed, nothing came to my mind. I hate how this chapter came out. I dunno what else I could have done with my limited creativity but oh well.

Hope you enjoyed it at least a little.

-shadowninja1718


	6. Surprises

"Are we almost there?" Naruto whined.

"Why can't you just be patient?" Kiba mumbled.

"Some of us don't have a ride!" Naruto shouted as he glared up at Kiba who was sitting on Akamaru's back.

Kiba grinned. "That isn't my fault, now is it?"

"Why you--"

"Hey! Calm down!" Ino barked, glaring. "We're close. Just try not to kill each other within the next few minutes, alright?"

"We're that close!? Alright!" Naruto shouted, grinning in triumph.

"Dobe." Sasuke mumbled, rolling his eyes.

Hinata smiled over at Naruto before looking ahead. She was hoping they'd reach a village soon as well. She was slightly tired from everything. She was glad that they got Sasuke back, and now all they had to do was get Sakura.

_And then Naruto-kun can be happy. He'll be able to see Sakura-chan and Sasuke-san together again. _Hinata thought with a smile as she glanced from the blond to the raven haired boy who had distanced himself from the group a bit.

Naruto pursed his lips together as his blue orbs stared ahead. He was imagining what would happen once they got Sakura back. _I just wish you were here right now, Sakura-chan. Sasuke-teme is finally here, but you're gone. _Naruto thought with a sigh.

Sakura let out a groan as she sat up slowly. She blinked, noticing she was not in the Akatsuki hide out nor in Itachi's arms. She glanced around the dark room, which was only lit up a bit by the window. It looked like it was probably around three in the morning. She let out a sigh as she layed back. Her chakra was drained most likely, seeing as she couldn't feel much. Either she had totally ran out when she tried to get away or it had been drained by Kisame.

* * *

"Hey! You awake!?"

"I must be. You're so loud.." Sakura grumbled as she pushed herself up onto her elbows, seeing Itachi's partner standing in the door way. She reached over to the desk beside the bed where a lamp was placed and turned it on.

Kisame grinned. "You should be used to waking up early by now, blossom."

"Yeah, yeah. What time is it..?" Sakura sighed, rubbing her eye.

"It's a little after two." Kisame informed her simply.

"Oh." Sakura sighed as she stretched. "Did you drain my chakra or something?" Sakura frowned in mid stretch as she looked towards him.

"Had to be done after you pulled a stunt like that." Kisame continued to grin.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Well, where are we?"

"We're currently in Iwagakure." Kisame stated as he folded his arms. "We had to switch bases. We're currently staying here until we can find a new place to stay at."

That made sense. Akatsuki could never risk staying in one place for too long. That's why it was always hard for them to be caught with how much they constantly changed places.

"Exactly where are we?" Sakura asked, pursing her lips together.

"Deidara's old home. It was the only place we could think of seeing as ,,, well, all the hotels were full and we didn't want to make a scene."

Sakura rolled her eyes at Kisame's still grinning face. "Of course. I'm sure you were crushed when you couldn't get some action in."

"Just a little." Kisame smirked back at her.

Sakura watched as Kisame walked back towards the door before stopping, turning to look at her. "Oh yeah, Deidara made some food if you're hungry. Also, some new clothes are on the dresser." Kisame stated, gesturing towards the old dresser in the corner.

Sakura nodded as he walked out. She got off of the bed and walked to the dresser, seeing a pair of black shorts like she usually wore along with a short-sleeved red shirt that seemed a little big. She put them on and walked towards a door that she figured led to a closet or something. She opened the door, seeing that it actually led to a bathroom. She walked in and found a brush laying on the counter. She smiled to herself and picked it up, brushing her hair out.

After washing up, Sakura walked out of the room and headed down the hall. She did feel a little sore and uncomfortable with her chakra gone. She was somewhat nervous about seeing Itachi. He'd probably scold her on trying to escape and most likely punish her later.

She walked down the steps and entered the kitchen to see Kisame, Deidara, Tobi, Sasori and unfortunately Itachi all sitting at a large table. She walked over towards it and sat down next to Deidara, not wanting to sit by Itachi.

"Hello, Sakura-san!" Tobi waved at her.

"Hey." Sakura forced a smile as she looked at Tobi.

"I'm done, yeah." Deidara grumbled as he shoved out of his seat, walking towards the sink and placing his plate in it.

Sakura watched Deidara walk out of the room, frowning. "What's wrong with him?"

"Ah, don't worry about it, blossom." Kisame grinned, waving his hand dismissively. "Deidara's just not in a good mood."

Sakura pursed her lips together. "Oh ... also, I have a name."

Kisame grinned. "But it's fun to tick you off."

Sakura rolled her eyes and reached towards the middle of the table, taking a roll that was sitting on a plate and took a bite out of it. She could feel Itachi's eyes on her and tried to her best to ignore it. She ate a few more things before getting hopping down from the chair. "I guess I'll be going back to my ... 'room'."

"Sakura."

Sakura froze once she heard Itachi's stern yet quiet voice and slowly turned her head. "... Yes?"

"I would like to have a word with you." Itachi stated calmly, gesturing for her to sit in the seat next to him.

"A-alright." Sakura mumbled, making her way towards Itachi.

"Tobi, maybe you should go check on Deidara." Itachi suggested calmly.

"Oh, no thanks, Itachi-san. Tobi is still eating." Tobi stated cheerfully.

Itachi cast a glance towards Kisame who quickly got the message and stood up. "Come on, Tobi. We need to cheer Deidei up." Kisame smirked, grabbing Tobi's arm and leading down the hall.

"But Tobi was still eating!"

Sasori, who had remained quiet, silently stood up and walked out of the room, knowing Itachi meant for the conversation to just take place with the two of them.

Sakura frowned as she glanced down as her hands were placed in her lap. She knew what was coming. She was just hoping she'd make it through this alive.

* * *

"Yes!" Naruto shouted once the village came into site.

"Dobe, calm down." Sasuke mumbled.

Naruto, ignoring Sasuke, ran into the village.

"Naruto! Stop it!" Ino shouted.

Naruto skidded to a stop, frowning as he waiting for them to catch up.

"W-we should find a h-hotel." Hinata stated quietly. "It's still early in the morning."

Ino nodded in agreement before she began walking, everyone following her.

Ino soon stopped in front of a hotel before walking inside. She walked up to the counter where an elderly woman was at. "Excuse me, but we need some rooms."

"How many of you are there?" The woman asked in a quiet tone.

Ino counted over everyone before turning back to the woman. "Six, plus a dog."

The woman looked around Ino once she heard a bark. Looking out the window, she saw a giant white dog, sitting outside. "...He'll have to stay outside." The woman frowned.

Ino nodded in understanding.

"Each room has two beds, so that'll be three worms.." The woman calculated quietly to herself.

Ino reached into her pocket, taking out the money needed and sat the bills on the counter.

The woman took out some keys and placed it on the counter. "The rooms are located at the end of the hall."

"Alright. Thank you." Ino said as she took the keys, leading everyone down the hall. She stopped at the end and turned around. "Hinata and I will share a room, Naruto and Sasuke will share a room, and Lee and Kiba will share, alright?"

"Who made you the boss!?" Naruto shouted.

"Yeah!" Kiba agreed, frowning."

"Just listen to me." Ino growled, throwing Sasuke a key and Lee the other key while the kept the one to her's and Hinata's room.

Ino let out a sigh as she sat down on the bed, rubbing her arm lightly.

"Um ... Ino-chan?"

"What is it?" Ino asked, sitting up as Hinata walked out of the bathroom.

Hinata had a soft frown on her face as she bit her lip. "Well..."

"What?" Ino frowned, urging the Hyuga girl to continue.

"I think you should see this.." Hinata said, pointing towards the bathroom.

Ino let out a frustrated sigh and stood up. "Okay, what's this abo--" Ino stopped as she stared in the bathroom. She didn't know if this was a good or a bad thing.

"Sakura-chan's clothes.." Hinata confirmed Ino's thoughts quietly as she walked passed Ino, picking up the red shirt and black shorts along with the skirt-like material.

"Sakura was here..." Ino said to herself, crossing her arms before looking towards the black haired girl. "Hinata."

"Y-yes?"

"Go get Naruto and the others." Ino instructed, walking out of the bathroom.

Hinata nodded as she stood up straight, taking one glance at Ino before she walked out of the room.

* * *

Yeah well, here's the next chapter . I couldn't get it out that fast because I have a science fair project I need to work on and I typed most of this just today, so it's not as good as it could have been.

Anyway, reviews are appreciated.

-shadowninja1718


	7. Warning

**Sorry this is so late. D: I've been working on my science project and other work. It may take a little longer to update this, and I'm very sorry about that. Anyway, this isn't that long, as usual. Just something for everyone until I can actually get some ItaSaku moments going :D**

* * *

Once everyone was out of the room, Itachi turned his head to look towards the pink haired girl sitting beside him. She had her gaze on her hands which were resting in her lap. Her eyes were shadowed by the curtain that was her hair.

Sakura heard him shift a bit and slowly turned her head a little too see that his elbow was resting on the dark wood table while his hand rested against the side of his head. His Scarlett eyes were resting on her form, which made her turn her gaze back to her lap.

"Sakura." Itachi stated firmly, causing her to hesitantly glance back at him, "you should know how foolish it was of you to attempt to escape. Did you honestly think it would work?"

Sakura pursed her lips together as she turned her head to look at the table. "I knew that the chances were slim, but I thought that I at least had a chance while you were gone. No one was around, so I figured I could actually make it. But then, I'm guessing you caught my trail just a few minutes after I left." Sakura sighed.

Itachi seemed to smirk. "You waited too long to attempt your escape, Sakura. Maybe if you had left a few hours earlier, then you would have gotten further, and possibly gotten to a village that you were allied with."

"I doubt it." Sakura frowned. "Kisame or someone would have caught me."

"Possibly."

Sakura smiled to herself, glad that their conversation hadn't gotten to the point of an argument. She watched Itachi from the corner of her eye, seeing that Itachi was watching her. She quickly looked back at the table. "Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

"Actually, there is something I will inform you about."

Sakura turned her head to meet Itachi's crimson gaze, waiting for what he was about to tell her.

"It would not be wise for you to try to try to escape again. Kisame may have drained your chakra, but once you get it back, you are not to use it to attempt in leaving. There are chakra seals on the doors and windows, so we will know if you are up to something. If it happens again, I may be forced to kill you." Itachi stated, no trace of emotion visible on his features.

Sakura's eyes widened as she listened to him. She didn't doubt about the fact that he could and would kill her if she began to become trouble for the Akatsuki. She was just a mere member in training in Itachi's eyes. Easily replaceable if needed.

"Just a mere warning." Itachi shrugged calmly.

"Yeah..." Sakura mumbled, frowning as she glanced at him, seeing him smirking at her. He was most likely amused with the expression she had been wearing previously.

"You are free to roam around the house, but do not try anything suspicious. The room you woke up in has more clothes for you to wear, so you have no need to go out for clothes.." Itachi stated calmly, knowing she would probably try the excuse that she needed more clothes.

"Alright." Sakura mumbled with a small nod.

"That is all." Itachi finished.

Sakura looked towards Itachi again, most likely wondering where the cruel Itachi from the past few days was. He was suddenly acting polite and not acting cold .. well, aside from him threatening to kill her.

_Don't forget that this is the man who ruined Sasuke-kun's life, Sakura. _She reminded herself as she stood up. "I guess I will go look around then." Sakura mumbled as she walked off, not bothering to glance back at Itachi.

* * *

"Sakura-san, yeah?"

Sakura looked up as the door of the room she was in creaked open as Deidara's head poked in.

"Yes?" Sakura asked, shutting the book she had found as she placed it back on the shelf. She had looked around the place and had encountered this room, which she guessed had been an old library.

"If you're hungry, there's some dinner left over, yeah." Deidara stated, tilting his head a bit to gesture towards the kitchen,

"Alright. Thanks." Sakura replied as she stood up straight, dusting herself off and walked towards Deidara. He held the door open wide enough for her to get out before closing it.

As they walked, Sakura glanced up at Deidara. He had been very quiet, and she knew him to be more talkative. Unlike most of the Akatsuki, he didn't strike her as ... well, evil as the others.

"What, yeah?"

Sakura froze, knowing she had most likely been staring. She shook her head and looked forward, locking her hands together. "It's nothing."

"Whatever, yeah."

Silence fell over them again, which bothered her. In some situations, silence was comfortable, but this wasn't that type of situation. It bothered her to no end.

"Did I do something?"

"Hm?" Deidara tilted his head as he looked at the pink haired girl.

"You seem ... well, irritated. Did something happen?" Sakura asked. She shouldn't care, and she knew it, but she always wanted to know if she had annoyed someone and why.

"No, yeah." Deidara stated as he looked ahead.

Sakura frowned. She knew he wasn't telling the truth. He was acting just like a child who either wanted to be payed attention to or pouting. She decided not to push on the subject and turned her attention ahead as well, seeing that they had made it to the kitchen.

"Ah! There's blossom!" Kisame grinned, taking a drink of sake.

"Hello, Haruno-san." Sasori spoke as he worked on what she guessed was a soon-to-be puppet. He didn't bother to glance up as they made it to the table.

Itachi was leaning against the wall, further from everyone else.

Sakura glanced towards the Uchiha before quickly looking away, looking at what she guessed was supposed to be dinner. It looked more like take out, which she wouldn't be surprised if it was. She couldn't really imagine anyone in the Akatsuki cooking.

She took a seat beside Deidara and Kisame, not wanting to be near Itachi for obvious reasons. True, he had made no attempt to actually hurt her, but she didn't want to risk it.

"So um .. what's for dinner?" Sakura asked after a few seconds, glancing around.

"Just some crap Tobi got.." Kisame grumbled, placing his cup on the wood table.

"Well _what_ is it?" Sakura frowned.

"Tobi thinks it's rice!" Tobi waved his hand in the air.

Sakura sighed, knowing she was getting no where and reached across the table, picking up one of the cardboard boxes. She peered inside, seeing that it was actually rice. "Is it even edible?"

Kisame laughed while Deidara peered into the box, tilting his head.

"I wouldn't trust it, yeah." He mumbled as he crossed his arms over the table.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Has anyone even eaten yet?"

"Nope." Kisame mumbled.

_So I'm guessing I was supposed to test the food?_ She thought, resisting the urge to roll her eyes again. She leaned back in the chair, heaving a sigh. Strangely, it didn't feel like she was with a bunch of S-class missing nins. They actually reminded her of Konoha in a strange sense. She thought they'd act more, well, evil. Of course, she knew they had it in them. On missions, they'd turn into their cold selves again, Though Itachi was always acting as if he were ready for an attack.

"I think I'll just go to bed." Sakura mumbled, "I did wake up early after all." She mumbled, shooting a glance towards Kisame who merely grinned.

"Alright, Haruno-san." Sasori spoke softly, still not looking up from his puppet.

"Good night, Sakura-san!" Tobi cheered as she walked out of the kitchen.

* * *

"What is this about?" Kiba yawned as he walked into the girls' room. "It's like five or six in the morning."

"We found something." Ino frowned.

"What did you find?" Lee asked as he walked into the room.

"Sakura-chan's clothes." Hinata whispered.

"WHAT!?"

Ino frowned at both Lee's and Naruto's outburst. "Quiet down."

"If Sakura-chan's clothes are here then..." Naruto trailed off.

"No, idiot." Ino said, knowing where Naruto was going. "Her clothes are a bit damp, she probably just changed into a dry set of clothes."

"Is she in the village!?" Naruto asked, a small grin on his face.

"No."

All eyes turned to a wet Sasuke who had just entered the room. He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. "I asked some guards if they saw anyone like her, and they said a girl that matched her description came by last night."

"Damn it!"

Now all eyes turned to the blonde haired boy, who had just punched the wall. "We just barely missed her!"

"Are you sure they're Sakura-san's clothes?" Lee asked, turning his attention to Ino.

"Lemme see them." Kiba stated, holding his hand out. Once Ino placed the clothes in his hand, he sniffed it for a second before turning to look towards everyone. "Yeah, they're hers."

"We should be able to follow the trail." Sasuke mumbled.

Naruto looked up towards his raven-haired friend, blinking. "What do you mean?"

"It's clear that someone besides Sakura was here." Sasuke mumbled, glancing around the room.

Ino nodded as she too looked around. "Yeah, you're right."

"Do you think Akamaru and you could trace her scent in all this rain?" Sasuke asked, looking back at Kiba.

"Of course we can." Kiba grinned. "The scent's not all gone. There's still a small trace."

"Then what are we waiting for!? Lets go!" Naruto shouted, straightening up.

"Go get your things and we'll meet at the front of the village." Ino instructed.

"Hai, Ino-san!" Lee shouted, saluting the blonde before rushing out of the room, all the other boys doing the same.

* * *

Sakura closed the door to 'her room' and walked towards the bed, collapsing onto it as she heaved a sigh. She really hoped someone came soon to get her. Even though she wasn't be tortured or anything, she didn't like it here. How could she like it? She was away from her family and friends and was stuck with criminals.

"I better get out of here soon.." Sakura sighed, turning onto her back and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**Well, again, sorry for the late update. Hopefully next time it won't take so long. Anyway, until the next chapter, Ja ne!**

**-shadowninja1718**


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